I.
A.
Factual Background
The Past Thirty Years - The verified complaint describes in some
detail the painful events of the past thirty years and will not be
restated at length here.
kept in mind.
The essential truths, however, must be
After living as a community in near solitude on their
isolated atoll from time immemorial, the people of Bikini came
under the control of the United States as an apparently insignificant
part of World War II, in 1944.
Verified Complaint, Gi 29, 42.
Early in 1946, American armed forces, who had dispatched the
Japanese from the Marshall Islands in convincing andoverwhelming
;
fashicn, made platn to the people of Bikini the United States' desire
to use Bikini to conduct atomic tests,
States Naval
>
end a21 world wars."
"for the good or mankind and to
Verified Complaint, 9 43.
III Richard, United
administration of the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands 510. (1957).
,
|
With some of the traosings, but little or none of the content,
cf veluntary, snowing agreement, the people of Bikini were removed
from Sheir homeland within a month.
Verified Complaint, @7 43, 50.
Since March of 19-45, when they arrived on Rongerik Atoll, the life
tne people of Bizini has been a constant struggle to avoid
Svarvation, to survive as a people, and most of all, to return to
their ancestral home.
td., 97 32-41, 50, 52-55.
The Bikinians were
Shuttled from Rongerik, to Kwajalein and, in the latter part of
1942, to Kili Atoll, where most of them now remain.
2
;
Id., 94 32-41.
“In addition: to tne "big stick" represented by any United States
orricial, speakin=s nowever softly, Commodore B. Wyatt bemused the
Civininans with ottlieosal comparisons between them and the children of
Teoracl, "wrhom the Lord saved from their enemy and led into the
Promised Land."
TIT Pichard, supra 909-510; Kiste, "The Bikinians:
A Soady In Ported Uisration" 27-235 (1974).
A
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